Colorful Journey's
by Destination.Road
Summary: Warning: SASUSAKU- main ship! People say brave ones rise from the ashes of the old, twisting and turning their paths with others until we all are connected in a sewed cloth. I fell in a desparate state when my father died, my sister was no better and my mother is a mess. But we civilians and ninja move on making our way in life...too bad life is a battlefield -Sakura H.


**_I do not own Naruto...yet_**

**Colorful Journey's**

Ch.1 THE ANNOUNCEMENT

"Attention, Attention!" The feminine voice of the new Hokage sounded through the chilly day's air. She paused while she waited for the chatter to die down to continue.

"As you all know, we are at war with the sound village... and there has been some rumors that we are losing, to my knowledge, that are being spread around...they are true." There was a collective gasp through most of the crowd while others just stood there petrified with fear or still with rage. "Calm down, Calm down... We're not done yet. The reason of this announcement was to not only inform you but to ask for volunteers to go to the front lines as to aid our ninja by working as a medic, or to become a ninja yourself." There was a great silence that spread over the town square, until the Hokage spoke again."There will be two booths here tomorrow for those who want to join... thank you." With that she stepped off the stage and accompanied by two ANBU, and headed back to the Hokage tower.

**Sakura**

I wasn't surprised at what I had just heard, I really wasn't. I saw it coming. _I__t was only a matter of time _so to speak. The letters my father sent home before he died were the biggest clues and that was almost three months ago.

I raked a hand through my untidy and unusually colored pink locks. 'I really need to cut my hair again.' I thought to myself as I felt how long they were. It wasn't that I didn't want to ever look nice I just didn't like the time it took._** 'Not that you have any'**_ _'ohhh... Great my inner is back__**'**_ my inner was another soul that lived inside of me, it wasn't completely diffrent like black vs. white but we shared similarities and differences not including having the same body of course but it was some form of a friend ship none the less. Still my inner could be very irritating at times. **_'Damn straight.' _**

I let out a quiet sigh, I should of been home a few minutes ago but it was probably good that I heard the speech and I could tell my mother and sister Rōse, or not say anything.**(The mother named them both flowers because of she believed that they would always be kind even in the most sin filled battles.)**

Instead of waiting for the Genin to help the other civilians to get on the main streets to return home, I walked through a darkened ally to another for a short cut home. Soon after I could no longer see the town square I started into a sprint. The walls of the narrow ally's only made the wind chill greater than it already was by redirecting the wind down on my thin figure, yet another reason to avoid the ally's was in Konoha. They were already berily used mainly because of the lack of light and shattered glass as well as trash that litterd the ground. Even though the short cut I'm taking would look longer on a map than one of the main roads it was less busy, almost cutting the time of traveling in half.

After a few turns and stops and starts as to not be caught in a gang fight, I finally made it home. I had to admit my house wasn't in the best neighborhood. Lots of desperate people looking for good pay and a better life for them and members of their family's. Most of them probably saw the the offer in the speech as a gate way to heaven, one way or another. But I had a job luckily, not the best pay by far but we could get by. It was at cloth factory. The girl's working there didn't sew we just kept a close eye on the machines and fixed small problems. It sound's like a safe job and it is for the most part but fiddling with the machines when not careful could rip off or crush your fingers

I glanced for dangers on street before I crossed to the curb that kept the dirt from our yard become the road **(A/N: remember the Naruto universe roads are dirt not pavement)**. My house was small and bland, nothing stood out. The only way we could tell it was our house was the address and a peeling of the white paint on the side of it. All the houses were white as in all of them were the same color the same size 'small'. To put it short not only was our neighbors the top criminals in the village but our whole world was a bleak mesh of desperation.

It was useless I had to admit, but I was happy for the most part my mother was a kind and caring woman, or she used to be. _'She would sell her soul to the devil if it would save me and my sister.'_ To dicribe what she looks like would be a difficult task. These days, she would never take the time to make herself look beautiful like she did when dad was here and alive. This came to the times now I would wake even earlier than reasonable to brush her dull brown locks into a bun or pony tail if not a braid. During that time I would ask her to look in the mirror to see how she looked, but she took only small glances. Her green eyes fogged with the tears that would never be aloud to fall. They almost never meet my matching jade ones any more.

My sister on the other hand was the sweetest girl you could ever meet, something worth protecting until my last day alive. It has been getting harder because of the spreading news of the war. Instead of green eyes she to had chocolate brown eyes, full of joy and mischief. Most of her traits such as looks and personality she got from dad such as blond hair and a happy go lucky attitude. She would sometimes wake in the early morning from nightmare's and such. Each time I would be sure to ask if she wanted to help with mom's hair** '_Which she always says yes to._'** My inner sniped. After words I would tell her to go back to sleep with a small kiss son the forehead.

I walked up our creaking steps in front of our wood door, unlocked it and went in the house. The first thing I do is take off my shoes and say hello to my mother, who is normally sitting on my father's _thinking chair_ and looking out the window or sitting in bed. I walked down the small hallway and walked into the first door on the right (bedroom), empty._ 'Probably looking out the window.'_ I walked into our little room called the living and family room since of the lack of sizable rooms in our house, no one there. This was odd she wouldn't be able to move that far because of how weak she is, so she defiently couldnt leave. Could she?

With that thought reapetedly going through my head I walked to the closed kitchen door. As I opend the door I saw two things out of place: one, there was an ANBU ranked ninja in the kitchen. Two, my mother was looking weaker than she had in all the three months my father has been dead.

The ninja turned to face me, he (manly figure) was an ANBU so of course I couldn't see his face so instead I was met with a mask of the face of a bear. He turned his head to look at my mother once before heading out of the kitchen, through the front door and poofed out of existence in the front yard

Just a nano-second later my mother collapsed onto me partially, causing a bigger time opening to grab her before she did a face plant into the tiled floor. The first thing I needed to do was probably get her to bed, _'not that I'm a doctor/nurse or anything.'_ I Shifted her body in such a way that her arm was around my shoulder so it was splitting the weight on both shoulders not just one, and I linked my arm around her at her hip bone to keep her feet from dragging.

It was a hassle to get her from the kitchen to her room, even though it would only take five steps if I wasn't carring another person my size and weight. Getting her on the bed was slightly easier but was still a big pain in the butt.

After I got my mother under the covers of her bed, I walked back to the kitchen to start cooking some cabbage soup, made from our garden produce. Cabbage was almost the only thing we ate other than a few spoonfuls of white rice we could get every once in a while (as in every other month).

Out a small window I could see Rose grinning like an cheshire cat walking on the side of the road. Skipping every other step as though she was listening to an upbeat tune. That little grin she wore was enough to cheer me up even through a tough days work.

I smiled to my self at the thought of her growing up, growing older, living a life she as many others deserved. But of course that was almost impossible never in the history of the slum's did one who lived there get a good job or a entirely happy life.

The regular "I'm home!" Disturbed me from my fantasies. I Put the pepper into the small cub board next to the salt, and turn down the heat on our stove to avoid an accident. After that was done I rushed out of the kitchen into the hallway and gave my sister the biggest bear hug I could give without crushing her.

"Ahhh, let go! let go!" Rōse shouted while struggling with deep desperation for freedom.

"Not until you hug me back little sis'!" I shouted back.

"Fine." She said her voice filled with fake sadness.

After she returned the hug I kissed her forehead just for the fun of it, making her pout slightly.

The rest of the night was just the same as every night, small conversations at the kitchen table, I read a chapter of the book Charletes web, and tucked Rōse in bed. After I finished the chapter and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders I gently closed the door to the bed room in hopes to only make a small amount of noise. After a small click indicated the door closed completely. I tiptoed into the kitchen to get another bowl of soup for mother if she was awake.

Once the bowl was filled with the almost tasteless soup I headed to my mothers room. Using one hand to carry the soup and a spoon I used the other to open the door. I closed the door behind me, all the while not taking my eyes of the bed or more specifically my mother. She was awake and sitting up but was slightly slouching over her clasped hands. I walked forward to the side of the bed she was closest to. Reaching out I gently shook her shoulder making her to jump slightly from the sudden contact.

"You need some food." I said in a timid voice, I had meant to say it louder.

The only response I got was a small glance that shifted from me to the bowl. Her shaky hands reached out slowly to grab it, but they where to weak to support the weight of the bowl, that I know.

"I'll do it." I said in the most calm tone I could muster to cover up my hidden rage.

I hated see her like this, weak and lifeless. _'Why couldn't she get over my father? Rōse and I did...or mostly.' _I shifted her so she was slightly leading back on the head board and sat down right next to her. Slowly I lifted the soup filled spoon to her lips. After she drank the first spoon full I filed another and repeated the process until there was no more soup left in the bowl.

I walked back to the kitchen still trying my best as to not wake Rōse. On my way back I poked my head into the family/living room to see the only clock in he house,11:24 PM. _'Probably should get some sleep myself.'_ I walked into my mothers room one more time to make sure she would be able to fall asleep.

She was still in the position that I moved her to so I could give her the soup, but was facing in the direction of a small wardrobe(four drawers). There was a paper bag sitting on it, normally there would be nothing on it. I walked over to the wardrobe to see what it was. I reached for the bag and gently pulled back the side so I could look in without spilling the contents. When I saw what was inside I nearly fell over, there was my fathers belongings that went with him to the camp he was positioned at. The object's consisted of three pictures; one of me, mom ,and Rōse. His forehead protecter and his wedding ring. Seeing the last object I looked at my mothers hand, a ring was still there. I knew my father didn't like wearing his wedding ring at all but at least where it the day you leave the earth and your family? _**'Calm down kiddo, he probably didn't know.'**__ 'But still how could he leave us here? Kami, the point on a battle field is to not die!' _

I didn't try hiding my anger I crumpled up the bag contents and all just to slam it into the top drawer. I wanted it away from me. I speed walked out of the room not even bothering to close my mothers door or even look at her. It made sense why she passed out but could she at least told me? _'hey a ninja dropped by as you know and dropped of some of your fathers possecions that you and Rōse would find interesting.'_ I opend the door to my room and flung myself on the matress placed on the floor. It didn't matter how much I worked for this family, we would allways have a crack splitting us up individually or in groups, it didn't matter. This couldn't be a life, could it? Definently not.

I took a few deep breathes to calm down. Slowly I got up and walked back to my mothers room careful to be quiet after the ruckus I caused. Entering her room I saw that she was slightly more slouched over than her previous position and some hair had slipped out of her pony tail, which was now hiding her eyes and part of her face from view.

I swallowed some tears down that threatened to fall and walked over to her. I sat down right next to her again but this time I grabbed her hand. I started to massuage it slightly. Her firm smoth skin was now wrinkly and slightly dry on her nuckles. She didn't make any movement to protest this so I continued.

I did this repeatedly switching from one hand to the other until I could feel the nights sleepiness fall over me. Now would be the time to apologize. "I'm sorry... You should know that." I paused waiting for the rest of the words to form a sentance in my head. "I definently have a temper don't I?" I let out the smallest of giggle's, it was true I was one of the most dangerous people in the village when provulked. I looked at my mother only to see she hadn't moved at all.

Sighing I stood up and walked to the door opening it and just taking the first step into the hallway when a underused voice stopped me. "You got that from your father." I turned around to see my mother looking straight at me with a gaze used only when looking at my father with, _admiration?_

"What?" I was utterly confused. _'She was talking now instead of all the other times she could of? And what is she saying?'_

"You got you temper from your father, Sakura." What? I had never seen my father mad, he was kind and caring all the way to the single cell's. Right?

"As you know your father he was a kind man, which he was but when protecting his family from harm things could definently get ugly fast." She smiled a little._ 'OMG inner she smiled, she smiled!' '**I know, I know! Now shut up!' **_

She continued. "He definently made our life better in many ways. Many, many ways." She started to mumble as the sentence went through but it was loud and clear in the quiet night.**  
**

I looked back over to the drawer that I shoved the bag in and back to _mom_. Who must have cought my gaze, because she to was looking at the dresser aswell. Slowly I walked toward the dresser. My heart started beating so fast in the short time span I wouldnt be surprised if it burst. Still moving in slow motion I grabbed the drawer handle and pulled it just enough so I could grab the contents. I reached in and felt the paper bag crinkle beneath my light grip on it. Once it was all the way out I moved my other hand from the drawer and unwrapped the bag, making its original form take shape.

I returned to my mothers bedside slowly opening the bag letting my mother reach in. The pictures, the forehead protecter, as well as the ring tumbled onto my mothers blanket covered lap. Her shaking hands touched the objects with great care, taking the pictures and putting them on a small bedside table and setting the ring gently on top to act as a small paper weight. She paused though looking at the small bit of armor with our villages symbol on it. This is something many ninja as well as civilians treasure because it was a sign of respect and appreciation of there noble sacrifice for others. That is why many of our neighbors will go through hell. '_We' _everybody in the slums deserves that admiration because we are the ones that hold this village. Unnoticed, yes but there will be warriors that rise from our leaders ashes.

**_Please R+R I need some spirit for my first fanfic_**


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